Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1887-02-19

tossings about we had had during the
day. But one night fully restored our
wearled energies, and the next morn
ing we went vigorously to work to see
the city and its places of greatest in
terest. For the next three or four
days our time was mostly taken up in
going up and down the city, on foot
and on street cars. San Francisco's
system of street railroads excels that OF
any other city on the continent. AS
have already said, without the cable
lines 1t were al up hill business for
most people to do business in this city.
We visited Woodward's Gardens
and Jaw animated nature, beasts, rep
tiles, birds, fishes, fruits, flowers and
plants from all quarters of the globe.
The geological department of these
gardens is not as we'll filled with ami
mails as our St. Louis fair grounds, but
in other respects .Woodward's excelled
everything I had seen. On Saturday
we went out to Ocean Park and the
Cliff House. To reach these points OF
interest you take one of the four cable
lines on. Market street, and go out
about two miles to the Ocean park.
Most sight seers 60 no further, TOR these
gardens are enough to claim the at
tention for hours. We took a car
riage and rode through these grounds,
and saw variety in richness and beau
ty. These gardens were greatly injur-
cd q few years ago by a destructive
fire. We saw some of the evidences OF
this destructive but most useful ele-
ment, We here saw the banana grow
ing. It was here that that wonderful
water lily, the "Victoria Regina" was
once to be seen, but which was des-
troyed by the fire above mentioned.
It was said that a child three or four
years old could stand and walk upon
its wide spreading leaves. After driv-
ing all abou. this garden and hastily,
Enthusiastically tor want of time,
.EuGn its rich beauty of land
got aboard what is called the
dummy railroad, and continued our
journey on to the Cliff House on the
sea. Here our eyes beheld old ocean
in all his real grandeur. 1t was no
bay or gulf that was spread out before
us, but the old Pacific that stretched
out from our immediate presence for
thousands of miles till it dashed upon
the shores of China.
As we sat upon the piazza at the rear
of the Cliff House, we counted fifteen
vessels riding the waves, some coming
in and others going out. 1t is a beau
tiful sight to see a ship under full sail,
as she walks the water like a thing of
lite. Near the Cliff House are the
celebrated seal rocks, some two Or
three hundred feet from shore. These
rocks derive, their name from the fact
Of their being the home of q colony of
seals, two or three hundred in number.
These innocent, playful animals being
now protected from man, the enemy of
all things, by law, climb upon these
rocks and bask In the sunshine for
hours. They roar and bark, and make
Q noise like hogs on the cars, and seem
to enjoy the sport of rolling v e each
other on these rocks, and occasionally
pushing each other off into the sea.
There was one very large old seal,
known as "Ben Butler" He got this
name from the popularity of his eyes,
and his o~verbearing disposition. We
were not e enough to him to see -,
nor there long enough to determine the
truth of this legend. Near the Cliff
House and situated on a high point
was "Sutro Park" This private
property is owned by a Mr.. Sutro. and
It ia said to be his purpose to donate it
to the. city. 1t Is surrounded by a mag,
ni6cent collection of statuary the tiuest
In the state. We could have remained
for hours at this romantic, wonderful
place and enjoyed looking at the sea
and listening 10 its ceaseless waves for
hours, but time and tide and the
''dummy railroads" wait for No man,
aud after an incredibly short while Gas
1t seemed to us) we We're called to bid
farewell to the ocean aud return to the
city. Since we were at the Cliff House,
and since I began writing these letters.
. small vessel, laden with giant pow,
der, foundered in the sea and the
powder exploded ear these seal rocks
eud killed many of the seals, blew
down the buildings and greatly dam.
aged the statuary in the Sgro P4rk. on
the point aheye tfi6 Gin g4cu5s. ffie
stasne nefY3fia NJ z6r6WssHatw4s and
1890 4Ehit park. in truth
1a1o Goddess of Beauty to pre-.
y0l&f il, for beauty itself reigu.
t6S Whole scene.
Alter returning to the city 1 conclud
ed to take a stroll through China town
and See what there was in these people
and their homes and habits and way,
Of living and dealing with each other
and the rest of the world, that made
them 80 universally obnoxious to tn,
Californians 1 say universally OBJ
noxious'' for all classes OF society, ant
all churches and political parties
would be glad to get rid of thes'
almond-eyed, pig-tailed Mongolians
who never assimilate to their surround
ings in California, and who would b,
nothing but exclusive Cinnamon if the,
lived III California a thousand years
All they seem to want is to get none,
and send it back to their native coun
try. They import nearly all that the
eat and wear, and export nearly al
that they acquire. There are some ex
ceptiOns, but this is the general rule
] was accompanied in my walk tlroug
Chinatown by an intelligent, well poste,
Christian gentleman, one who was III
capable OF being actuated by envy O
prejudiced by race or color. A gentle
man who had studied the question c
Chinese immigration calmly, and frol
patriotic standpoint and whose CALI
judgment is that the Chinese in thi
country are almost, if not altogether,a
unmitigsted evil. We started out t
see some of the sights that lay upo
the surface. | told him that | did nc
care TO 20 very deep into the Chimes
soil, md hence would remain abov
gree ere are several under
Sro4< Rzthis Chinatown, an
the aud hideous d,
1sFmiiesft sEAese as you descend, as